Ask most people to name a celebrity or famous person and you will get a barrage of answers ranging across the sports, music and entertainment industries. Ask someone to name a famous firefighter, and the answers will come less eagerly – if at all. However; if you ask someone that’s been in the fire service for any amount of time, especially a firefighter that reads fire service articles and fire command text books, a few well known, “famous” firefighters or chief’s usually pop up. One such well known Fire Chief is Alan Brunacini. Chief Brunacini stopped by the Cherry Hill Fire Department on December 9th to discuss emerging trends in the fire service and review the CHFD’s recent venture into Brunacini’s own “Blue Card Training” for command officers.
Chief Brunacini joined the Phoenix Fire Department in 1958, rose through the ranks and was Chief of Department from 1978 to 2006, retiring after a nearly 50 year career. He has served on numerous nationwide fire service boards, committees and commissions and was the past Chairman of the National Fire Protection Association; N.F.P.A. He is the author of many fire service textbooks, some deemed mandatory for those seeking promotion to leadership roles in firefighting. These texts include: Fire Command; Command Safety, Timeless Tactical Truths, Essentials of Fire Department Customer Service; and the Anatomy and Physiology of Leadership.
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| Chief Alan Brunacini discusses fire service trends with Cherry Hill Firefighters. |
Over the past 6 months, Cherry Hill Fire Officers have been training with the “Blue Card Training” program created and taught by Chief Brunacini and his two sons, John and Nick. Blue Card is designed to first instruct and then certify fire officers who serve in the role of incident commander or that supervises and manages emergency and hazard zone operations for everyday, local events. Blue Card incorporates 50 hrs of online instruction with 3-6 days of in-class simulation training. Chief Brunacini stopped by to review the department’s progress and the live simulation work areas. One simulation actually utilizes a department command vehicle and asks the perspective commander to make decisions just as he would in that vehicle on a live incident – which is on a video screen in front of him. CHFD Officers are set to begin using the simulators in early 2012.
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| Training Officer Callan reviews the Blue Card Simulator with Brunacini. |
Below is an informative video for the public that describes the problems Fire Departments face across the country, and how the Blue Card program helps prepare fire officers to handle those problems while serving the customer and keeping firefighters safe.
Please visit http://www.bluecardcommand.com/ for more information or click here for a demo of the course.
